Thursday, 16 August 2012

Many of you might have seen in the news the terrible events unfolding at a mine in my country today.

Many versions/interpretations of what happened was sent out into the world.

It is not just about police brutality. It is not about apartheid. It is not just a wage dispute.

It is about trade unions in a stand-off against each other, against the companies. It's about fat cats in offices in Joburg playing games with their human pawns, because the pawns are mostly just workers desperate to make a living. Thousands Just Want To Work .

It is about ancient superstitions that lead these men to believe that drinking/sprinkling themselves with some unthinkable concoction would make them invincable, unable to die, untouchable.

Now as many as 25 people might have died since the start of the violence last week. Men leaving behind families; women and children. In an already dire economic position, these families will now even have less. Their men will be buried, a huge funeral will be held with union banners, cows will be slaughtered and T-shirts distributed - and the union bosses will go home in their big shiny black German cars.

Their employers have already ceased operations in SA for now. That means tens of thousands will be without an income. That means tens of tens of thousands will be without the means to buy food, clothing, shelter, medication.

But the union guys will be ok; they may think they have won a battle, they will scream even harder for nationalization.

"Ah, but your land is beautiful", people say.

It is.

But it is also drenched with tears.

Ed. Policemen are currently being killed at a rate of 1 every 10 days. But at least it has improved. It was almost 600 a year in the middle 90's.